Avalanche in Himalayas by Chae Tongyull
In the critically acclaimed "Himalaya" series by Chae Tongyull, "Annapurna Reclining Nude" emerges as a stand-out work born from a journey that began in his late forties along the Silk Road. Spanning nearly two decades of painting, hiking, and living among the people of China, Tibet, Nepal, and India, this piece marries the stark, sensuous terrains of the Himalayas with the traditional Western portrayal of female nudes. This tradition is reimagined through the lens of the Hindu goddess Parvati, whom Chae encountered in a temple in Delhi. By presenting her not as an object of desire but as an embodiment of the natural environment Herself, she becomes as indomitable and detached as the mountain range she overlooks. “Annapurna Reclining Nude” is a celebration of both the feminine and the natural world in their most authentic and unadorned forms- free from conquest or romanticization.
In the critically acclaimed "Himalaya" series by Chae Tongyull, "Annapurna Reclining Nude" emerges as a stand-out work born from a journey that began in his late forties along the Silk Road. Spanning nearly two decades of painting, hiking, and living among the people of China, Tibet, Nepal, and India, this piece marries the stark, sensuous terrains of the Himalayas with the traditional Western portrayal of female nudes. This tradition is reimagined through the lens of the Hindu goddess Parvati, whom Chae encountered in a temple in Delhi. By presenting her not as an object of desire but as an embodiment of the natural environment Herself, she becomes as indomitable and detached as the mountain range she overlooks. “Annapurna Reclining Nude” is a celebration of both the feminine and the natural world in their most authentic and unadorned forms- free from conquest or romanticization.
In the critically acclaimed "Himalaya" series by Chae Tongyull, "Annapurna Reclining Nude" emerges as a stand-out work born from a journey that began in his late forties along the Silk Road. Spanning nearly two decades of painting, hiking, and living among the people of China, Tibet, Nepal, and India, this piece marries the stark, sensuous terrains of the Himalayas with the traditional Western portrayal of female nudes. This tradition is reimagined through the lens of the Hindu goddess Parvati, whom Chae encountered in a temple in Delhi. By presenting her not as an object of desire but as an embodiment of the natural environment Herself, she becomes as indomitable and detached as the mountain range she overlooks. “Annapurna Reclining Nude” is a celebration of both the feminine and the natural world in their most authentic and unadorned forms- free from conquest or romanticization.